He was so immensely hard, and I was so slick and willing. We'd kicked off our shoes somewhere in all the fumbling, and I was pretty sure I knew what came next.
But I was wrong. Instead of hoisting me up onto the counter, he reached down to the floor beside us and picked up his discarded shirt.
I laughed. "If you put that on, I swear, I'm gonna lose it."
With a wicked grin, he informed me, "You're gonna lose it anyway, I promise you that." He lifted the shirt higher. "But the shirt's not for me. It's for you."
He reached around me and placed the shirt on the countertop directly behind where I stood.
"Ohhhh," I laughed. "Padding."
"You know it." And then, Brody reached for my panties and gave them a hard yank. As he did, I fumbled for his briefs, pushing them down toward the floor, first with my hands, and then with my foot.
Soon, we were both naked, right there in the brand-new kitchen.
Finally, he reached for my hips and lifted me effortlessly onto the shirt-covered countertop, kissing me as he did.
When his finger grazed my clit, I moaned into his mouth. With one hand, I reached between us, stroking his massive erection. I wanted him inside me, and I didn't want to wait.
I pulled back and breathed, "If you wait one more second, I think I'm gonna die."
"Oh yeah?" He smiled like this was a good thing. "We'll see." And with that, he slid a finger deliberately inside me, making me whimper with desperate need.
My eyelids fluttered as I breathed, "See?"
With honey in his voice, he asked, "Wanna know what I see?"
"What?"
"The girl I love." As he spoke, he circled my clit with his thumb, making me squirm with lust while his finger – and then two fingers – stroked my insides in a way that made my hips surge and my breathing grow ragged.
Everything he did, he did right. And this was no exception. By the time he finally entered me, I was already a quivering, trembling mess.
I swear to heaven, I climaxed on like his third thrust, shuddering against him as he drove into me harder and faster while I wrapped my legs around his waist and held on for dear life.
And what a ride it was.
I could feel the muscles in his back moving in time with every thrust, driving me to distraction as he gave me exactly what I wanted, what I needed, too.
By the time he climaxed against me, I felt like I was floating away to the most wonderful place – a dreamland, where anything was possible – where enemies became lovers, and lovers became something more.
As our breathing subsided, I leaned my head on his muscular shoulder and murmured, "Oh, boy. A girl could get used to this, you know?"
With that familiar smile in his voice, he said, "As long as the girl is you, count me in."
Chapter 77
Arden
We spent the next month traveling back and forth from Michigan to California. We were officially a couple – in private and in public.
And boy, did Waverly love that. She especially loved it when I was offered another consulting contract, this one for the house in California, which was undergoing a serious renovation.
Speaking of California, I learned from Brody that Waverly's trip to that state hadn't involved him at all. Rather, Waverly had gone to visit her uncle at the production company, where she'd demanded that I be fired. Or else.
Instead, she'd been demoted to general gopher, and Roy had been given the producer job in her place. The new assignments were set to begin with the very next house – a house that I would have a hand in restoring.
I expected grief from Brody's brothers, but for whatever reason – whether because Brody had run interference, or because anyone could see that we were crazy about each other – things went a lot smoother than I might've expected.
During this whole time, Brody and I still debated – sometimes in jest, and sometimes in earnest – who should really own the house on the beach.
Legally, it was mine already. But in my heart, I still felt funny about taking it for nothing. But Brody, stubborn as ever, still absolutely refused to let me buy it.
In the meantime, the house remained vacant – not because we didn't want to move in, but because until we agreed on whose house it actually was, it seemed terribly premature to start filling it with our things.
And besides, somewhere in the back of my mind, I was hoping that a choice wouldn't have to be made at all – that the house could be ours in the most permanent of ways.
Regardless, I was having the time of my life. After my return to Bayside, Brody made another confession. During the past few months, he'd been avoiding travel so we could spend more time together.
I was insanely flattered, but horrified to learn that this had caused a delay with the other houses, including the place in California. In happier news, we were catching up just fine, and this time, we were doing it together.
For now, Brody and I were living like vagabonds, splitting our time between California and Michigan whenever we could.
While in Michigan, we stayed wherever the mood took us – sometimes at his condo, and sometimes at the crew house – minus Waverly, who'd quit the show in a huff when someone suggested that she actually "gopher" coffee early one Monday morning.
She wasn't missed.
Whenever we could, Brody and I spent an obscene number of hours at the beach house, wandering through its empty rooms and pondering what we'd do with all of the space.
It was during one such brainstorming session when Brody turned to me and said, "Hey, you wanna see the attic?"
The offer caught me off guard. Based on little things he'd said over the past few weeks, I'd assumed the attic was packed with junk and spare building materials.
Still, I gave a happy nod and let him lead me to the private stairway that led up to the long-forbidden space. When we reached the top step, I felt my eyed widen in surprise.
It wasn't packed.
It was a dream.
The whole room was painted in pink and white candy stripes. On the largest wall, in fanciful lettering was an old-fashioned sign. With a laugh, I read it out loud. "Clara's Candies." At this, I actually giggled. "Oh, my God."
With a self-satisfied smile, Brody said, "Take a closer look."
In a happy trance, I wandered toward the sign, and then burst out laughing all over again. On the lower corner, in red scripty letters was a grade. I read this out loud too. "An A, huh?"
"Not just an A," Brody said. "An A-plus."
I still couldn’t stop laughing. "Who did this? I mean, I know you planned it and all, but did you design it yourself?"
"Hell no," he said. "I hired a pro."
"Who?" I asked.
"Miss LaRue."
"You're not serious?"
"The hell I’m not," he said. "This job? It was perfect for her skill set."
Yes. It was. And for some reason, it made the whole thing all the more ridiculous and wonderful.
I took another long look around. The sloped ceiling was not only fully repaired, but painted in a crisp white that showed off all the interesting lines and angles of the roofline.
And then, there was the new balcony. Where there used to be a big, old window overlooking the water, I saw a pair of classic patio doors that led out to a cozy perch for gazing out over the water.
Once again, I looked to Brody. "But wait, how did I not know this was going on?"
He grinned. "You were in California."
"Not all the time," I said. "And the balcony, I would've spotted that from the outside."
"I know," he said. "That's why the balcony was the last thing they put in. I had a hell of a time keeping it secret."
And yet, he had. With a wistful smile, I confessed, "It's like a dream."
"Just so you know," Brody said, "you don't have to keep it this way."
"Oh, it's staying," I told him, "regardless of who owns the house." I reached for his hand. "I love it. And I love you most of all."
"That reminds me," Brody said. "I never did tell you what L.O.L. stood for."
On his phone? Funny, I'd totally forgotten about that. But now I was beyond curious. "So, what did it stand for?"
When he answered, his voice was nearly a caress. "Love of my life."
As he said it, something squeezed at my heart. "You're kidding."
"Nope."
"But at the time, you didn't even know you loved me."
"I knew," he said. "I just wasn't ready to face it. That's all."
I smiled up at him. "You're the love of my life, too, you know."
He grinned. "I know. And now, we're gonna settle who owns the house." With that, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box.
My breath caught. "Oh?'
With a smile, he got down on one knee and said, "Arden?"
My eyes were already misty. "Yeah?"
"I love you. You fill my life with everything I never knew was missing. I want to build a home, a life, a family. I want everything that you and I never had, and I want it with each other."
By now, I was openly crying, with happy tears sliding down my face.
And then, he opened the box, revealing the most beautiful diamond ring I'd ever seen. With love in his eyes, he said, "Will you marry me?"
I didn't even have to think about it. It was the thing I'd been hoping for, and I told him so, not just then, but many times over the next few weeks as we made happy plans for the future.
Turns out, that future included a more permanent presence on the Blast Brothers show, where I became a regular part of the cast, not just for the house in California, but for all of them.
It really was crazy, especially knowing that in a few short months, we – along with millions of other people – would be watching not just the transformation of the beach house, but also our journey from hatred to love.
Maybe I should've been embarrassed. But I was so happy with how everything turned out, all I felt was giddy anticipation.
And why?
It was because it was a journey I wouldn't have traded for anything, especially knowing how it ended.
Happily Ever After.
The End
Sneak Peeks & Bonuses
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One hard billionaire. One college grad turned nanny. And a massive mansion that's way too small for their growing attraction.
Mason Blastoviak. This self-made billionaire doesn't bang the Help. He doesn't get involved. And he never, ever falls in love.
Cami O'Neal. This recent teaching grad doesn't do strangers. She doesn't neglect her charge. And she never, ever throws herself at billionaires, especially her hard-bodied, hard-as-nails, and very hard-to-figure-out billionaire boss – the guy whose kid sister is under her care.
It all sounds good in theory. But what happens when these two decidedly different personalities are living under the same roof? Looking out for the same precocious kid? Crossing paths and clashing in the closets? And just what if all those sparks aren't caused by loathing, but something a lot more dangerous?
Could it be a forever-and-ever kind of love?
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Zane Bennington, he was the guy who'd been making my life miserable for weeks. He was a prick. A jerk. A stone-cold ruthless bastard with no redeeming qualities whatsoever – well, except for his face. And his body. And yeah, maybe his massive fortune. But other than that, the guy had zero going for him. The only upside? He hated me as much as I hated him. Or so I thought…
© Copyright 2020 by Sabrina Stark
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events or locales is purely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Sneak Peeks & Bonuses
Next in Series Coming Soon!
More Loathing-to-Love Romance!
© Copyright 2020 by Sabrina Stark
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